Star Wars Jedi: Survivor features multiple planets for players to explore, but something about them seems off. While each planet has been beautifully crafted, they all feel mostly devoid of peaceful life. Just like Fallen Order before it, each world in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is constructed like a theme park, but the town of Rambler's Reach goes a long way in alleviating this.
Unlike most areas in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Rambler's Reach is a town filled with peaceful NPCs waiting for Cal Kestis to help them. It serves as the primary hub of the entire game, and its people make the galaxy feel alive. It is such a nice change of pace from all the other worlds, and hopefully, the third game continues to expand upon the concept so that it can have the most lived-in galaxy yet.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor's Worlds Feel Like Theme Parks
The majority of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor's worlds feel like they were constructed for one primary reason, and that is to be a video game level. Each locale is packed with enemies to kill, collectibles to find, and meditation points to uncover. The map is filled with various puzzles and areas that require players to use every tool at their disposal to navigate. This makes many of these areas feel more like playgrounds than actual lived-in areas, and that hurts the overall immersion of the game.
These playground-like worlds are not exclusive to Star Wars Jedi: Survivor as they also appeared in Fallen Order, and they do not necessarily ruin the game. These worlds are still beautifully realized and can be fun to traverse. However, in an era of hyperrealistic open-world games, these levels really stand out. This makes the galaxy feel like it is lacking something, but not every world seems to be like this.
Rambler's Reach Feels Like a Real Frontier Town
Near the beginning of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, players are introduced to the town of Rambler's Reach. This town sits on the planet of Koboh, and it serves as the primary hub for the entire game. Players can buy items from numerous shopkeepers, they can interact with a plethora of characters, and they can embark on side quests known as rumors. It feels like the standard hub town that numerous games have, and it is made even better by the town's upgrade mechanic.
Throughout players' adventures in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, they will encounter characters or accomplish tasks that will improve Rambler's Reach. As Rambler's Reach improves, players will unlock even more shops and discover new rumors to investigate. This gives players the feeling that they are actually having a direct impact on the Star Wars galaxy and serves as a nice form of progression throughout the narrative.
The addition of Rambler's Reach finally gives the Star Wars galaxy a more lived-in feeling. The city is not filled to the brim with enemies to kill, and players traverse it like normal people rather than as a Jedi bouncing off the walls. It feels like the most lifelike area of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and is a welcome change to all the other playground-like worlds in the galaxy.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor's worlds serve their purpose, and they can be a blast to navigate. However, the galaxy should also feel a little bit more real, and that is where Rambler's Reach comes into play. For the eventual third game, Respawn should figure out how to strike a nicer balance between the two. The worlds are all a remarkable sight, but they need to also feel like actual homes.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is available now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S
